Amir Khan, you were right, though partially.
Yes, it breaks my heart to accept that as an Indian now I am scared to live in India too.
But what you were not right about was the reason for this growing fear.
If I were to name my fear, I would choose one word; Mobocracy.
Surely, in India it is all set to rip apart Democracy and replace it with with some draconian, stoneage law? Remember how overnight Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of the valley? We had an elected government, we had the courts, we also had law enforcement agencies. Did anyone come to their rescue? Remember, how the ruling party in Bengal murders workers of the opposition parties and hangs them to rot on trees, sending out a terror message?
Do you get what Mobocracy is?
It is not what you get to read in a dictionary. In today's context it is a mob, belonging to one specific religion, against one specific religion, systematically gathering to support some misplaced and rhetorical notion, coming out on streets, in more than one locality and city, across the nation and then indulging in arson, loot, violence, displaying scant regard for law enforcement agencies, causing multiple deaths and still claiming the victim status.
What happened during the Delhi riots?
What happened in Kanpur a few days back?
What happened across Bengal, UP, Delhi & Jharkhand?
The answer is Mobocracy.
This is the new form of terror and it is time we accept this fact. I am sure, by this time you know that terror does have a religion and color.
Under some disguise; from the CAA protest to the statement of the now expelled BJP Spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, the pattern of Mobocracy is similar. Post-Friday namaz, when a sizeable crowd is in and around the mosques, rioters mingle, and in no time slogans turn into a stone-pelting event and as the frenzy grows, arson and lawlessness spreads across the city.
If you look at this model its far-reaching consequences, you will shudder.
Remember young kids and women in Kashmir pelting stones?
The basic formation is the same, from Pryagraj to Delhi, Ranchi to Kanpur. Young men, sporting the trademark ‘jalidar topi’ form the wall, protecting the rioters, unleashing hatred on the cops via slogans and stones. As this mob moves towards the cops, sticks, swords, petrol bombs, and firearms come into play. Pre-marked shops, establishments and vehicles of Hindus are damaged or set on fire.
What makes this nightmare even worst is that stone-pelting also happens from the rooftops and terraces of the adjoining minority areas.
What makes this impossible to handle?
The rioter is not a person, it is not even a mob, but an entire community, its members, kids to women, young to old have joined this. How do you deal with a situation when eighteen percent of your country is out there to vandalize the nation? The cops can’t fire, and the para-military force can’t do what they are capable of doing. Under the garb of civilian protest, this Mobocracy will destroy everything.
From Delhi now to other parts of the country, it seems that a template is being set and tested. The powers or parties behind this are testing how far can they go with this and how does the government respond to this.
To you, all this might seem like a conspiracy theory or some far-fetched imagination. Tell me, what was the provocation for the riots yesterday? Nupur Sharma’s statement? If yes, why did the protest happen after 2 weeks? And by the way, was she wrong in saying what she did? Her source of information was Hadis, a revered scripture of Islam. Zakir Naik, a Muslim communal hate monger has also said what Nupur has said.
Mark my words, the area of this Mobocracy template will keep growing.
Whosoever is behind this, PFI, or any other, is not alone. Such large-scale upheaval can’t be orchestrated without the support of a political party, foreign powers, and deep pockets.
I don’t have the numbers, but looking at the riot videos, I am sure that not even one percent of these rioters would be paying any taxes. Also, they would be the beneficiary of every government scheme, from free ration to electricity, to loans, free housing, insurance, and whatnot.
Strange it might sound but the truth is that Mobocracy is the manifestation of an ailing democracy that has been built on appeasement politics without focussing on inculcating any sense of national pride, or love for the motherland. Mobocracy is an outcome of a flawed constitution, a weak criminal law, an ailing judiciary, and a myopic majoritarian society that takes too much comfort in its past.
The solution: This focussed attempt at testing modules of Mobocracy by the minority will surely polarise the majority too. Maybe that is what they want, to push this country into a civil war and ensure that we can never come out of it. The intricate situation needs some deft handling of issues at various levels. Internally, we also need an iron hand to curb the perpetrators.
A word of caution: Learn from history or get ready to become history. This is for the majority religion of India.
- Amit Shankar
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